Chapter 129: Brother?

Chapter 129

Brother?

"I apologize for letting the Second Young Lord of the Setter family witness such a scene. I will host a meal for you today, and please do not hold any grudge against our Max family,"

The old man said, looking deeply remorseful as he poured wine for Aman himself. For most people, this would be considered a great honor. However, Aman was not impressed. He knew what the Max family wanted, but the policy of his own family was clear: any benefits should primarily favor families within Ares Kingdom.

Although they often quarreled, when it came to defending Ares Kingdom or ensuring its safety, they had to unite. The entire Setter family resided in Ares Kingdom, and contributing to its greatness was considered their achievement as well.

"How could we be angry with Lady Kara? This is Gaia Kingdom, not Ares Kingdom."

"Please don’t think that way, Second Young Lord. No matter which kingdom you’re in, you will always be honored by our Max family. This incident must have greatly displeased you. If you want us to make amends, our Max family will not let it slide."

"That’s alright. There’s no need for any compensation. It’s just an ignorant young girl."

"Indeed, she is a motherless child lacking proper upbringing. From now on, I’ll take greater care of her."

"I think it’s good that you do. If next time she shows disrespect towards someone else, not me, your Max family might face more serious repercussions. Conflicts between families aren’t that difficult to arise," Aman said nonchalantly, but every word was a clear threat.

He implied that if it wasn’t the Setter family but another, what family could the Max family fear besides them? Also, suggesting that conflicts between families weren’t hard to start—could a young girl’s rudeness really spark such a conflict?

Normally, the head of the Max family didn’t converse much with the Second Young Lord. It was only Lord Steven, his father, who had met him once at a Setter family banquet. Other interactions were limited to members of the Setter family and their elders, clearly showing they didn’t value the Max family highly.

Even knowing they couldn’t match the Setter family’s strength, and with no significant benefit to draw their attention, but suddenly becoming a family in conflict with them...wasn’t this seemed too easy?

"The Second Young Lord is right. I won’t let any conflicts arise from her behavior. Actually, it’s that man’s fault. I’ve seen him many times but never thought he’d use a charm potion on my granddaughter," the family head shifted the blame. But his statement wasn’t entirely wrong.

It was because of Lady Kara’s infatuation with Christopher that blinded her, leading her to do anything to please him.

"It seems there are some interesting potions in Gaia Kingdom," Ellie, who had been listening, interjected. Aman raised his eyebrows slightly but did not stop her from speaking about what interested her. However, the head of the Max family did not know Ellie personally. He raised his eyebrows, observing the young girl who had been by Aman’s side since the beginning. Their relationship seemed close, so even though he didn’t know Ellie’s status, he decided not to cause trouble.

"This young lady might not know, but that man actually has considerable skill. He even devised a new technique of potion-concocting, which allows him to create focus-enhancing and relaxation potions. Both of these are highly sought after in our Gaia Kingdom. Just these two potions can significantly improve learning efficiency."

"Both potions are priced at just a few silver coins, making them a great value for parents to buy for their children. However, they do have a drawback—they are not beneficial for those who use level 3 magic power or higher. Only beginners in magic training will see good results."

The old man laughed. While the two potions seemed beneficial, these conditions made them suitable only for children. Nevertheless, the so-called children’s potions earned the young man a substantial income. It was said that he now even had support from the royal palace to produce higher-quality potions.

"Potions that enhance concentration and provide relaxation?" Ellie repeated the old man’s words, feeling intrigued by these two potions.

If she took the focus-enhancing potion, would her training sessions improve? If anyone in this world needed concentration the most, it was her!

Having to constantly divide her awareness to monitor everything around her, Ellie heavily relied on her concentration. Whenever she lost focus, she couldn’t control the vision of her spores. Unfortunately, the potion was effective only for those with magic levels below 3....

"Yes, those two potions are widely available. However, the potions he produces are not limited to these. Those at level 3 and above will easily notice that he also uses a type of potion we call a charm potion. Whenever he converses with women, it often makes those of lower levels infatuated with him. It’s a potion with undesirable properties."

"But because he only uses it on himself and does not sell it, we cannot call him to bear any punishment. Moreover, he hasn’t caused any damage with it. However, this time, he is using that charm potion on a foreign guest. I will make sure he is punished for this,"

The head of the Max family said with a gleam in his eyes. He considered Ellie as one of the victims under the man’s control, not realizing that Ellie would never fall for such a weak potion. It wasn’t just because she was already at level 3; she had seen through such a foolish trick from the start.

"By the way, I apologize for being rude to you, young lady. However...I have little knowledge about Ares Kingdom and thus do not know which family you come from?" Seeing Ellie furrowing her brows in thought, while Aman refrained from interrupting her, the old man felt he should confirm her status. Otherwise, he feared he might act impolitely.

"Hmm? You want to know about her?" Aman smiled wickedly at this question. Even Ellie had to look up at the Demon, who seemed to have been waiting for this moment.

"It would be better if I knew the young lady’s status. Perhaps I could assist her in areas she’s interested in." The old man was quite cunning. He knew from the cunning Christopher and Ellie’s earlier conversation that she was an apothecary. Thus, he figured, where could offer her more benefits than Gaia Kingdom?

Even Ares Kingdom, which boasted Professor Medik, sometimes didn’t have as many resources as Gaia Kingdom. Otherwise, why would this place be called the kingdom for apothecaries!?

In Ares, 4-year-olds knew how to fight, wield swords, and carry shields. In Gaia, 3-year-olds knew how to mix potions. So, no matter how skilled Professor Medik was, his knowledge hadn’t developed as broadly as in Gaia Kingdom due to the limited number of people interested in potion concocting.

"Huh! Your decision is quite good. Flattering this woman is the right move."

Hearing Aman reveal his thoughts, the old man felt somewhat embarrassed. However, he took it as a compliment and accepted it with a smile.

"What flattery? We’re just mutually benefiting each other."

"No need to deny it. I’m telling you now so you can treat her even better in the future." Aman’s smile made the old man’s heart tremble. Even without Aman’s words, he felt that the young girl’s status was indeed extraordinary.

Seeing the two of them bantering, Ellie couldn’t help but shake her head. It seemed Aman was going to use her again. Did they really think she had some grand status? They were just making things up. But she didn’t intend to contradict him. Let them talk. It wasn’t like she interacted with people from Gaia Kingdom often. If it brought her more benefits, that would be fine too.

"She is...actually my brother’s lover." Aman downed his drink in one go. However, his casual remark shocked the listeners.

Ellie felt like slapping Aman’s mouth. Why did he say such a thing so suddenly? Wasn’t he afraid of shocking people to death? As for being Owen’s lover, she didn’t mind much. The whole story they had concocted could easily lead to misunderstandings. If the Max family ever mentioned it in Ares Kingdom, people would just think it was a misunderstanding. In reality, her relationship with the eldest young lord was simply that of a poor girl from Set City and a noble indebted to her deceased father.

The relationship involving a debt of gratitude compelled Owen to repay the young girl, so it wouldn’t be strange if people from other lands misunderstood. Besides, the status of Owen’s wife wasn’t that intimidating.

Many people would support her, someone without any real power, to become the lady of the Setter family. Only those eyeing the position themselves, mainly allies of the Setter family, might be upset. If anything happened, they likely wouldn’t dare cause too much trouble or show their displeasure openly.

In fact, the head of the Setter family wanted to announce Ellie’s status on the day of Owen’s debut to clear up any ambiguity. They wanted to declare her as Owen’s betrothed, as agreed with her father. However, Ellie didn’t want to tie herself down so quickly, so she declined. She hadn’t even asked the fearsome young man’s opinion yet. To rely solely on the fact that she was the one who gave the healing herb to assert power over him seemed unfair.

Someday, if given the chance, she wanted to get to know him better. There was an old saying in her world about choosing a partner: “Choose the wrong husband, and you’ll regret it for life.” Even if it was just a formal arrangement for appearances to benefit both her and the Setter family, if he turned out to be too cruel, Ellie wouldn’t want to be with him romantically. Being allies would suffice.

Returning to the present situation, Aman didn’t say anything further and simply raised his cup for a second drink, while the head of the Max family was rendered speechless.

The old man remained silent for a moment, as if he had forgotten to breathe. Finally, he regained his composure, looking between Ellie and Aman. It didn’t seem like either of them was joking with him.

The withered hand of the experienced elder reached to lift his cup of wine, intending to take a sip. However, his hand trembled too much to prevent the wine from spilling, and he eventually gave up, turning to Aman to ask again for confirmation.

"Second Young Lord, when you say that this young lady is your brother’s lover, do you mean...gulp, do you mean she is the lover of who I think? It couldn’t be the eldest young lord...could it?" The old man asked, his face pale.

When it came to the "brother" of the second young lord, it could only be the eldest young lord. And what was the eldest young lord like in his memory? If the Setter family housed many powerful individuals, the eldest young lord was the most powerful among them. So powerful that with his hand alone, he could dominate the list of the kingdom’s strongest!

However, everyone had heard about the current condition of the eldest young lord. With such immense power, he had succumbed to a life-consuming disease, bedridden. Because of his ailment, other kingdoms could breathe a bit easier. Otherwise, the reemergence of a deity-level figure in Ares Kingdom would have made other kingdoms weep.

The old man’s feelings were not just of disbelief but also of dread!

This question made Aman slightly angry. He exhaled sharply before slamming his wine cup down with a loud "bang," startling the old man, the head of the Max family.

"What do you mean by that? Don’t you understand from what I’ve said? My brother—who else could it be? I acknowledge only one brother. Don’t try to consider anyone else as my brother!!"

How could he not be angry? He had spoken so clearly, yet this old man thought he was referring to some other brother. Did he have any other brother? Hmph! Could any of those people be considered his brother? Even those in the Setter family...who were older than him, some even had to call him Grandfather! How could they possibly be regarded as a brother he respected?

"T-This brother that the Second Young Lord mentioned, c-could it be the eldest young lord, Owen?"